Intent To Prepare a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Project, 10960-10962 [E6-3050]
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10960
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 42 / Friday, March 3, 2006 / Notices
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Shannon Maynard, (202) 606–6713 or
by e-mail at smaynard@cns.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Corporation is particularly
interested in comments that:
• Evaluate whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the Corporation, including
whether the information will have
practical utility;
• Evaluate the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
• Propose to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
• Propose to minimize the burden of
the collection of information on those
who are expected to respond, including
the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology
(e.g., permitting electronic submissions
of responses).
wwhite on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
Background
The Corporation for National and
Community Service is committed to
fostering civic engagement through
service and volunteering. As part of its
efforts to inspire all Americans to serve
their communities, the Corporation
conducts public service campaigns and
awareness activities to recruit
participants for its programs—Senior
Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and
Serve America—as well as volunteers
for its special initiatives such as Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. In order
to be more effective in its marketing and
recruitment efforts, the Corporation
proposed the creation of a uniform
marketing survey for all its programs
and initiatives. Survey findings will
educate the Corporation about how best
to reach potential volunteers with
information about volunteer and
national service opportunities.
Current Action
The Corporation is soliciting
comments concerning its proposed
marketing questionnaire to help inform
volunteer and member recruitment
efforts for its various programs and
initiatives. The survey, which would be
completed voluntarily by current and
prospective volunteers or program
participants (for example, AmeriCorps
members or RSVP volunteers), would be
conducted online with visitors to the
Corporation’s website domains and in
focus groups and public discussions
with current and prospective volunteers
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and program participants. Completion
of the survey is voluntary.
Type of Review: New.
Agency: Corporation for National and
Community Service.
Title: CNCS Marketing and
Recruitment Questionnaire.
OMB Number: None.
Agency Number: None.
Affected Public: Corporation program
participants and volunteers.
Total Respondents: 1000.
Frequency: On occasion.
Average Time Per Response: 30
minutes.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 50
hours
Total Burden Cost (capital/startup):
None.
Total Burden Cost (operating/
maintenance): None.
Comments submitted in response to
this notice will be summarized and/or
included in the request for Office of
Management and Budget approval of the
information collection request; they will
also become a matter of public record.
Dated: February 27, 2006
Sandy Scott,
Director of Public Affairs.
[FR Doc. E6–3038 Filed 3–2–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6050–$$–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army
Availability of Non-Exclusive,
Exclusive License or Partially
Exclusive Licensing of U.S. Patent
Concerning Enzymatic Template
Polymerization
AGENCY:
ACTION:
Department of the Army, DoD.
Notice.
SUMMARY: In accordance with 37 CFR
404.6, announcement is made of the
availability for licensing of U.S. Patent
No. US 7,001,996 B1 entitled
‘‘Enzymatic Template Polymerization’’
issued February 21, 2006. This patent
has been assigned to the United States
Government as represented by the
Secretary of the Army.
Mr.
Robert Rosenkrans at U.S. Army Soldier
Systems Center, Kansas Street, Natick,
MA 01760, Phone: (508) 233–4928 or email:
Robert.Rosenkrans@natick.army.mil.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
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Any
licenses granted shall comply with 35
U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR 404.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 06–1989 Filed 3–2–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710–08–M
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of
Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Louisiana Coastal Protection and
Restoration Project
Department of the Army, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: This notice of intent (NOI) is
for the Louisiana Coastal Protection and
Restoration (LACPR) Project. This notice
of intent addresses the coastal area of
southern Louisiana from the state
boundary of Louisiana and Mississippi
at the Pearl River in the east to the state
boundary of Louisiana and Texas at the
Sabine River in the west as identified in
the Coast 2050 coastal Louisiana
restoration plan.
ADDRESSES: Scoping meeting comments
regarding the draft Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement
(DPEIS) for the LACPR may be provided
orally or in writing at the scoping
meetings; sent via e-mail to
LACPR_EIS@mvn02.usace.army.mil;
sent via the worldwide Web at https://
www.lacpr.usace.army.mil/; or sent via
letter postmarked not later than the
close of the scoping comment period to
the LACPR EIS Environmental Manager,
CEMVN–PM–R, P.O. Box 60267, New
Orleans, LA 70160–0267. Comments
will not be accepted if submitted by
facsimile (fax).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
LACPR EIS Environmental Manager,
Bruce Baird, (504) 862–2526.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Background: On August 29, 2005,
Hurricane Katrina, a major hurricane
(sixth strongest Atlantic basin cyclone
on record), made landfall in southeast
Louisiana and left in its path the
costliest natural disaster recorded in the
relatively young history of the United
States of America. On September 24,
2005, Hurricane Rita (fourth strongest
Atlantic basin cyclone on record), made
landfall in southwest Louisiana leaving
in its path a trail of severely impacted
communities and infrastructure.
Congress has directed the Corps of
Engineers, New Orleans District, in
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 42 / Friday, March 3, 2006 / Notices
close coordination with the State of
Louisiana, to begin a six-month
endeavor, titled the South Louisiana
Comprehensive Coastal Protection and
Restoration Report, also referred to as
the LACPR Report, to identify, describe
and propose a full range of flood
control, coastal restoration, and
hurricane protection measures for south
Louisiana. A preliminary technical
report for comprehensive Category 5
protection is due within six months
from December 30, 2005, while a final
technical report for Category 5
protection is due within 24 months from
December 30, 2005. A final PEIS,
without a Record of Decision, will be
submitted in conjunction with the 24month final technical report.
Applicable legislation includes Corps
of Engineers—Civil Investigations, The
Energy and Water Appropriations Act,
2006 (Pub. L. 109–103), November 19,
2005, Section 5009, The Department of
Defense Appropriations Act, 2006 (Pub.
L. 109–148), December 30, 2005, and
Chapter 3, The Department of Defense
Appropriations Act, 2006 (Pub. L. 109–
148), December 30, 2005, for assessment
of Louisiana Coastal Protection and
Restoration.
The DPEIS will document the NEPA
(National Environmental Policy Act of
1969) process identifying and assessing
reasonable alternatives to proposed
actions that will avoid or minimize
adverse effects of these actions upon the
quality of the human environment.
Specifically, the DPEIS will analyze the
potential direct, indirect, and
cumulative impacts of implementing
flood control, coastal restoration, and
hurricane protection measures for south
Louisiana.
2. Proposed Action and Reasonable
Alternatives. Four alternatives,
including the no-action alternative, have
been preliminarily proposed for further
evaluation in the six and 24-month
technical reports. Those alternatives are
as follows: (1) A structural alternative,
which is flood protection consisting of
a continuous line of earthen or concrete
walls, along southern coastal Louisiana
connected at various locations, as
needed, by floodgates and other devices
to provide protection against a storm
surge originating from the Gulf of
Mexico produced by a catastrophic
Category 5 hurricane; (2) a structural
alternative with coastal restoration
commensurate to the level of structural
fortification to provide protection
against a storm surge originating from
the Gulf of Mexico produced by a
catastrophic Category 5 hurricane; (3)
and a non-structural alternative
consisting of environmental or coastal
restoration measures only to provide
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16:43 Mar 02, 2006
Jkt 208001
protection against a storm surge
originating from the Gulf of Mexico
produced by a Category 5 hurricane.
Other non-structural measures such as,
raising or moving structures to meet
existing or revised flood plain base
elevations, would be a part of any
proposed action alternative. The noaction alternative would maintain
current levels of flooding protection
against a major Category 3 hurricane.
3. Scoping Process. The Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ)
regulations implementing the NEPA
process directs federal agencies that
have made a decision to prepare an
environmental impact statement to
engage in a public scoping process. The
scoping process is designed to provide
an early and open means of determining
the scope of issues (problems, needs,
and opportunities) to be identified and
addressed in the draft environmental
impact assessment. Scoping is the
process used to: (a) Identify the affected
public and agency concerns; (b)
facilitate an efficient EIS preparation
process; (c) define the issues and
alternatives that will be examined in
detail in the EIS; and (d) save time in
the overall process by helping to ensure
that the draft statements adequately
address relevant issues. Scoping is a
process, not an event or a meeting. It
continues throughout the planning for a
draft EIS and may involve meetings,
telephone conversations, and/or written
comments. Public scoping meetings will
be conducted during a two-week
scoping meeting comment period.
Locations for public scoping meetings
are as follows: New Orleans, Thibodaux,
Lafayette, and Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Dates, times, and physical locations of
the public scoping meetings are to be
determined. Public scoping meeting
comments will be accepted up to seven
business days following the final
scoping meeting.
4. Request for Scoping Comments.
The Corps will conduct scoping
meetings to determine the scope of
issues to be addressed and for
identifying the significant issues related
to the DPEIS for the LACPR project.
Notices will be mailed to the affected
and interested public once the dates and
locations of the scoping meetings have
been established. The Corps invites
scoping input concerning the following
scoping focus questions: Question #1:
What are the critical natural and human
environmental problems and needs that
should be addressed in the DPEIS?
Question #2: What are the significant
resources that should be considered in
the DPEIS? Question #3: What are the
reasonable restoration alternatives that
should be considered in the DPEIS?
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10961
Interested parties are encouraged to
provide their input and
recommendations for all significant
issues of the study.
Scoping comments will be compiled,
analyzed, and utilized in the plan
formulation process. A Scoping Report,
summarizing the comments, will be
made available to all scoping
participants and published on the
LACPR Web site (https://
www.lacpr.usace.army.mil/). Scoping
comments will be accepted throughout
the scoping comment period.
5. Public Involvement. Scoping is a
critical component of the overall public
involvement program. An intensive
public involvement program will
continue throughout the study to solicit
input from affected Federal, state, and
local agencies, Indian tribes, and other
interested parties.
6. Interagency Coordination and
Cooperation. Pursuant to section 1501.6
of the NEPA (30 CFR parts 1500–1508),
the following agencies have been
invited to participate in the study as
cooperating agencies on the EIS:
Minerals Management Service, National
Marine Fisheries Service, Natural
Resources Conservation Service, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S.
Geological Service, Louisiana
Department of Environmental Quality,
Louisiana Department of Natural
Resources, and the Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will
provide a Fish and Wildlife
Coordination Act Report. Coordination
will be maintained with the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service and the National
Marine Fisheries Service regarding
threatened and endangered species
under their respective jurisdictional
responsibilities. Coordination will be
maintained with the National Marine
Fisheries Service regarding essential
fish habitat. Coordination will be
maintained with the Natural Resources
Conservation Service regarding prime
and unique farmlands. The U.S.
Department of Agriculture will be
consulted regarding the ‘‘Swampbuster’’
provisions of the Food Security Act.
Coordination will be maintained with
the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency concerning compliance with
Executive Order 12898, ‘‘Federal Action
to Address Environmental Justice in
Minority Populations and Low-Income
Populations.’’ Coordination will be
maintained with the Advisory Counsel
on Historic Preservation and the State
Historic Preservation Officer. The
Louisiana Department of Natural
Resources will be consulted regarding
consistency with the Coastal Zone
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10962
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 42 / Friday, March 3, 2006 / Notices
Management Act. The Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
will be contacted concerning potential
impacts to Natural and Scenic Streams.
7. Availability of DPEIS. It is
anticipated that the DPEIS will be
available for public review May 2007. A
45-day review period will be provided
so that all interested agencies, groups
and individuals will have an
opportunity to comment on the DPEIS.
In addition, public meetings will be
held during the review period to receive
comments and address questions
concerning the DPEIS.
Dated: February 21, 2006.
Richard P. Wagenaar,
Colonel, U.S. Army, District Commander.
[FR Doc. E6–3050 Filed 3–2–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710–84–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of
Engineers
Notice of Intent To Adopt a Final
Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
DOD.
wwhite on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY: The Army Corps of Engineers,
Los Angeles District (Corps), has
reviewed the Final Environmental
Impact Statement (FEIS) prepared by the
U.S. Department of Transportation,
Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA), dated July 2004, for the
proposed ‘‘Route Location, Adoption,
and Construction of State Route 905
Between the Otay Mesa Port of Entry
and Interstate 805 in the County of San
Diego, California.’’ The Corps intends to
adopt the FEIS for purposes of
compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This
notice only solicits comments on the
Corps’ intent to adopt the FEIS.
DATES: Written comments must be
received by March 14, 2006.
ADDRESSES: U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, ATTN: CESPL–CO–R, San
Diego Regulatory Field Office, 168885
West Bernardo Drive, Suite 300A, San
Diego, California 92127. Comments may
also be submitted, via electronic mail,
to: terrence.dean@usace.army.mil.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Terry Dean, San Diego Regulatory Field
Office, at (858) 674–5386.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
proposed project is to construct State
Route 905 from Interstate 805 (I–805) to
the Otay Mesa Port of Entry (POE) with
Mexico, a distance of approximately 10
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16:43 Mar 02, 2006
Jkt 208001
kilometers (6.2 miles). Each of the
proposed alternatives would include six
travel lanes (three in each direction) and
each would have a wide median for
possible, future high occupancy vehicle
(HOV) lanes. Local interchanges would
be constructed at Caliente Avenue,
Heritage Road, Heritage Road, Britannia
Boulevard, and La Media Road, as
would a freeway-to-freeway interchange
at State Route 125. The project purpose
is to provide for effective transportation
of people, goods, and services between
I–805 and the Otay Mesa POE. Project
objectives include alleviating existing
traffic congestion, improving safety on
Otay Mesa Road, providing adequate
transportation facilities for the
associated growth from planned and
approved developments, and
completing a major transportation
corridor between Interstate 5 and the
POE. Alternatives assessed in the FEIS
issued by FHWA include: A no-build
alternative and six build alternatives.
The Freeway-Central Alignment
Alternative has been identified as the
Preferred Alternative and the Least
Environmentally Damaging Practicable
Alternative (LEDPA).
On August 10, 2005, the Caltrans
submitted an application for a
Department of the Army permit under
section 404 of the Clean Water Act
(CWA) to discharge fill material into
7.68 acres of jurisdictional waters of the
United States to construct State Route
905 as a six-lane controlled access
highway from I–805 to the Otay Mesa
POE with Mexico in San Diego County,
California. The project includes: (1)
Constructing local interchanges at
Caliente Avenue, Heritage Road,
Britannia Boulevard, La Media Road, (2)
a freeway-to-freeway interchange at
State Route 125, and (3) constructing a
bridge structure at Spring Canyon.
A Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS
was published by FHWA in the Federal
Register on March 30, 1995. Prior to the
development of the draft EIS (DEIS),
several scoping meetings were held by
the FHWA/California Department of
Transportation (Caltrans) to identify
local issues and areas of concern. On
July 27, 2001, the DEIS was filed with
the U.S Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). The DEIS was circulated
for public review from August 13, 2001
to October 16, 2001. During the public
review period, a public hearing was
held by FHWA/Caltrans on September
20, 2001. The FEIS was signed by the
FHWA on July 23, 2004, and distributed
to the public. On September 24, 2004,
the FHWA signed the Record of
Decision.
The Corps’ regulations at 33 CFR parts
320–331 requires compliance with the
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NEPA, the EPA’s CWA section 404(b)(1)
Guidelines, and a public interest
evaluation. Accordingly, for purposes of
the Corps’ compliance with the NEPA
and to prevent duplication of effort, the
Corps intends to adopt the FEIS issued
by the FHWA. This notice solicits
comments on the Corps’ intent to adopt
the FEIS only.
However, we have determined further
analysis is necessary to document
compliance with our public interest
requirements and the CWA 404(b)(1)
Guidelines. We initially distributed a
notice to the public of the receipt of a
permit application by the Caltrans and
to solicit comments on the proposed
project. This initial notice solicited
comments from August 17 to September
18, 2005. As a result of our election to
adopt the FEIS, we will be distributing
a second notice to the public seeking
comments on the proposed project as
analyzed in the FEIS. An Environmental
Assessment will be prepared to address
the additional analysis and comments
received in response to both public
notices.
Comments concerning the Caltrans’
proposed project must be provided in
response to the Los Angeles District
Second Public Notice, which we
anticipate, will be circulated on
February 21, 2006. The public notice
can be obtained by submitting a written
request to Mr. Terry Dean at the address
or e-mail above or by accessing our
Internet Web page at https://
www.spl.usace.army.mil/regulatory.
Mark R. Blackburn,
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, Acting District
Engineer.
[FR Doc. E6–3045 Filed 3–2–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710–92–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request
Department of Education.
The IC Clearance Official,
Regulatory Information Management
Services, Office of the Chief Information
Officer invites comments on the
submission for OMB review as required
by the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before April 3,
2006.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should
be addressed to the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Attention: Rachel Potter, Desk Officer,
Department of Education, Office of
Management and Budget, 725 17th
AGENCY:
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 42 (Friday, March 3, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10960-10962]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-3050]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement for the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Project
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice of intent (NOI) is for the Louisiana Coastal
Protection and Restoration (LACPR) Project. This notice of intent
addresses the coastal area of southern Louisiana from the state
boundary of Louisiana and Mississippi at the Pearl River in the east to
the state boundary of Louisiana and Texas at the Sabine River in the
west as identified in the Coast 2050 coastal Louisiana restoration
plan.
ADDRESSES: Scoping meeting comments regarding the draft Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement (DPEIS) for the LACPR may be provided
orally or in writing at the scoping meetings; sent via e-mail to
LACPR--EIS@mvn02.usace.army.mil; sent via the worldwide Web at https://
www.lacpr.usace.army.mil/; or sent via letter postmarked not later than
the close of the scoping comment period to the LACPR EIS Environmental
Manager, CEMVN-PM-R, P.O. Box 60267, New Orleans, LA 70160-0267.
Comments will not be accepted if submitted by facsimile (fax).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: LACPR EIS Environmental Manager, Bruce
Baird, (504) 862-2526.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Background: On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina, a major
hurricane (sixth strongest Atlantic basin cyclone on record), made
landfall in southeast Louisiana and left in its path the costliest
natural disaster recorded in the relatively young history of the United
States of America. On September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita (fourth
strongest Atlantic basin cyclone on record), made landfall in southwest
Louisiana leaving in its path a trail of severely impacted communities
and infrastructure.
Congress has directed the Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District,
in
[[Page 10961]]
close coordination with the State of Louisiana, to begin a six-month
endeavor, titled the South Louisiana Comprehensive Coastal Protection
and Restoration Report, also referred to as the LACPR Report, to
identify, describe and propose a full range of flood control, coastal
restoration, and hurricane protection measures for south Louisiana. A
preliminary technical report for comprehensive Category 5 protection is
due within six months from December 30, 2005, while a final technical
report for Category 5 protection is due within 24 months from December
30, 2005. A final PEIS, without a Record of Decision, will be submitted
in conjunction with the 24-month final technical report.
Applicable legislation includes Corps of Engineers--Civil
Investigations, The Energy and Water Appropriations Act, 2006 (Pub. L.
109-103), November 19, 2005, Section 5009, The Department of Defense
Appropriations Act, 2006 (Pub. L. 109-148), December 30, 2005, and
Chapter 3, The Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2006 (Pub. L.
109-148), December 30, 2005, for assessment of Louisiana Coastal
Protection and Restoration.
The DPEIS will document the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969) process identifying and assessing reasonable alternatives to
proposed actions that will avoid or minimize adverse effects of these
actions upon the quality of the human environment. Specifically, the
DPEIS will analyze the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative
impacts of implementing flood control, coastal restoration, and
hurricane protection measures for south Louisiana.
2. Proposed Action and Reasonable Alternatives. Four alternatives,
including the no-action alternative, have been preliminarily proposed
for further evaluation in the six and 24-month technical reports. Those
alternatives are as follows: (1) A structural alternative, which is
flood protection consisting of a continuous line of earthen or concrete
walls, along southern coastal Louisiana connected at various locations,
as needed, by floodgates and other devices to provide protection
against a storm surge originating from the Gulf of Mexico produced by a
catastrophic Category 5 hurricane; (2) a structural alternative with
coastal restoration commensurate to the level of structural
fortification to provide protection against a storm surge originating
from the Gulf of Mexico produced by a catastrophic Category 5
hurricane; (3) and a non-structural alternative consisting of
environmental or coastal restoration measures only to provide
protection against a storm surge originating from the Gulf of Mexico
produced by a Category 5 hurricane. Other non-structural measures such
as, raising or moving structures to meet existing or revised flood
plain base elevations, would be a part of any proposed action
alternative. The no-action alternative would maintain current levels of
flooding protection against a major Category 3 hurricane.
3. Scoping Process. The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
regulations implementing the NEPA process directs federal agencies that
have made a decision to prepare an environmental impact statement to
engage in a public scoping process. The scoping process is designed to
provide an early and open means of determining the scope of issues
(problems, needs, and opportunities) to be identified and addressed in
the draft environmental impact assessment. Scoping is the process used
to: (a) Identify the affected public and agency concerns; (b)
facilitate an efficient EIS preparation process; (c) define the issues
and alternatives that will be examined in detail in the EIS; and (d)
save time in the overall process by helping to ensure that the draft
statements adequately address relevant issues. Scoping is a process,
not an event or a meeting. It continues throughout the planning for a
draft EIS and may involve meetings, telephone conversations, and/or
written comments. Public scoping meetings will be conducted during a
two-week scoping meeting comment period. Locations for public scoping
meetings are as follows: New Orleans, Thibodaux, Lafayette, and Lake
Charles, Louisiana. Dates, times, and physical locations of the public
scoping meetings are to be determined. Public scoping meeting comments
will be accepted up to seven business days following the final scoping
meeting.
4. Request for Scoping Comments. The Corps will conduct scoping
meetings to determine the scope of issues to be addressed and for
identifying the significant issues related to the DPEIS for the LACPR
project. Notices will be mailed to the affected and interested public
once the dates and locations of the scoping meetings have been
established. The Corps invites scoping input concerning the following
scoping focus questions: Question 1: What are the critical
natural and human environmental problems and needs that should be
addressed in the DPEIS? Question 2: What are the significant
resources that should be considered in the DPEIS? Question 3:
What are the reasonable restoration alternatives that should be
considered in the DPEIS? Interested parties are encouraged to provide
their input and recommendations for all significant issues of the
study.
Scoping comments will be compiled, analyzed, and utilized in the
plan formulation process. A Scoping Report, summarizing the comments,
will be made available to all scoping participants and published on the
LACPR Web site (https://www.lacpr.usace.army.mil/). Scoping comments
will be accepted throughout the scoping comment period.
5. Public Involvement. Scoping is a critical component of the
overall public involvement program. An intensive public involvement
program will continue throughout the study to solicit input from
affected Federal, state, and local agencies, Indian tribes, and other
interested parties.
6. Interagency Coordination and Cooperation. Pursuant to section
1501.6 of the NEPA (30 CFR parts 1500-1508), the following agencies
have been invited to participate in the study as cooperating agencies
on the EIS: Minerals Management Service, National Marine Fisheries
Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological
Service, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Louisiana
Department of Natural Resources, and the Louisiana Department of
Wildlife and Fisheries. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will provide
a Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act Report. Coordination will be
maintained with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National
Marine Fisheries Service regarding threatened and endangered species
under their respective jurisdictional responsibilities. Coordination
will be maintained with the National Marine Fisheries Service regarding
essential fish habitat. Coordination will be maintained with the
Natural Resources Conservation Service regarding prime and unique
farmlands. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will be consulted
regarding the ``Swampbuster'' provisions of the Food Security Act.
Coordination will be maintained with the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency concerning compliance with Executive Order 12898, ``Federal
Action to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and
Low-Income Populations.'' Coordination will be maintained with the
Advisory Counsel on Historic Preservation and the State Historic
Preservation Officer. The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources
will be consulted regarding consistency with the Coastal Zone
[[Page 10962]]
Management Act. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will
be contacted concerning potential impacts to Natural and Scenic
Streams.
7. Availability of DPEIS. It is anticipated that the DPEIS will be
available for public review May 2007. A 45-day review period will be
provided so that all interested agencies, groups and individuals will
have an opportunity to comment on the DPEIS. In addition, public
meetings will be held during the review period to receive comments and
address questions concerning the DPEIS.
Dated: February 21, 2006.
Richard P. Wagenaar,
Colonel, U.S. Army, District Commander.
[FR Doc. E6-3050 Filed 3-2-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-84-P
